Minecraft Hardcore
by FabulousJojo
Summary: When 7 people find themselves in a world of blocks, they must do anything to survive. After all, they easily learn that if you die in the game, you die in reality. Their only hope is to slay the mighty Ender Dragon, and hope that they are transported to the real world again. Adventure! No logic OR physics! Puns! Welcome to the realm of Minecraft Hardcore. (Picture: Djohall)
1. A New World

This is the story of an unlikely assortment of people, all of whom have their own story and goals. At least, that was what the book Jack was reading was about. Thrilling adventure, a touch of romance and epic fight scenes plugged the right wires in his brain to actively follow his new favourite book series. Today a new addition just hit the stores, stacks lining every library window, the sweet smell of all those new books wafting over the heads of townsfolk.

But the saddest thing was, Jack couldn't get this book. Not today nor any other day of the year. Instead he had found himself in a dark, ivory vortex. Not a thing was clear to him on why he was in there, or how he managed to get there in the first place, but as he felt himself getting lurched into the heart of the storm, Jack knew something was afoot. In the centre of the vortex was a light, a light that shone closer an closer... Until Jack was falling. He didn't fall far, mind you, but it was enough to make his knees buckle. With a grunt he got back to his feet as soon as he was able to move his legs, and took a long look at the scene before him.

Everything that surrounded him was... Natural. The trees that swayed in the breeze, the clouds that hovered high in the sky. There was only one problem. Something he should have noticed from the very start. Though the trees and clouds were very beautiful indeed, all that surrounded him was...

"Square?!" Jack cried out, stumbling back. Indeed, not just squares, but everything was in the shape of a cube. Even the cow that grazed a few feet away was just a big rectangle with different colours! Jack looked down at his hands, and to his horror saw that he only had stubs. Where were his perfectly functional fingers?! He needed those for pointing, thumbing something up and- Jack felt even more traumatized by the fact he couldn't successfully give the finger to someone anymore. He gulped down his initial shock, and started to wander around.

Jack had first appeared in a light forest, trees here and there and the ground was littered with various flowers. Dandelions, azalea, he could only recognize a couple. It was... Serene, he thought. Peaceful, even. A small pond glittered in the distance. Jack ran, almost relieved, to the shimmering bed of water. He drank gratefully, the water enriching his body. Gasping for air long enough to catch his breath, Jack liked at his reflection. Even he was a cube. But that still didn't mask any of his features at all.

Ebony hair, a scrawny nose that had been broken a couple too many times, complimentary dark eyes, and Jack's pale face reflected back at himself through the clear water. He had been wearing the same clothes that he had that same day- jeans and a red sweatshirt with the string tied. At least that bit hadn't changed about him. Jack blinked, and jumped back as another face appeared in the water.

"You really shouldn't doze off like that. You'll end up dead sooner rather than later." a girl (he assumed so) with long red hair tied in a loose ponytail with big, blue eyes gave him a questioning look. She wore a simple green and navy blue plaid shirt and black yoga pants that fit around her waist comfortably.

"What was that for?" Jack panted, still recovering from the overwhelming shock.

"It's not like I tried to sneak up on you or anything! You just stood there staring all dramatically into the pool of thought!" the girl shrugged, extending a hand. "Seeing as we're the only two souls here... I'm Ami. It's, er, nice to meet you."

"Jack," he replied, shaking her hand. "Same goes to you."

The duo stood in silence for a few seconds until Ami cleared her throat. "So, what do we do from here, do ya figure?"

"Er," Jack glanced around. "A house or something would be nice to spend the night in." This world faintly reminded him of an old memory. No, he thought. That was the past, it had nothing to do with the problem at hand.

"Agreed," Ami nodded. "We should chop down some of these trees to start with."

"Right."

Jack went up to a average Birch tree, rolling up his sleeves. It was them he realized he was missing something.

"We don't have an axe, do we?" he called.

"Negative. Just use your hand!" Ami punched the tree next to him, the segment disappearing. "See?" She held out her... 'Hand', the slab of wood suddenly there. "You can access your inventory with your brain. Cool, huh?"

He nodded, punching the tree himself. Then Jack focused, scrunching up his face. A faintly blue box appeared in front of his face, slightly transparent. Several boxes and even a view of himself presented itself before his eyes. In one of the boxes was an item labeled 'Birch Wood'. Jack smiled, dragging it over to the front most boxes. Suddenly a block of wood appeared in his hand, not different from the tree.

The time passed on, and it was apparent that the sky was getting darker every second.

"Hey, uh, don't mean to be a downer or anything, but we might need a house or something to sleep in." Ami called from several feet away, stopping her wood-chopping to wipe her sweaty brow.

"Well, we don't exactly have enough time to make a house before the sun sets... We can always sleep under the stars."

Ami perked up. "Really? I like staring up at the sky and sleeping! Let's call it a day."

Jack laughed. "Agreed."

They didn't have anything to make beds out of, so Jack and Ami made themselves comfortable on the cool grass. The stars peacefully glistened in the night sky. Ami had started pointing out several constellations to Jack.

"See that? That's the Little Dipper."

"Then where's the Big Dipper?" Jack asked, slightly confuddled.

"Just because they have half the same name doesn't mean they're in the sky, Jack."

"This is too confusing for my head." Jack closed his eyes, attempting to rub them with his stub of a hand.

Ami rolled her eyes. "You're just making it worse for yourself. We should at least try and sleep a little, if you wanna quit stargazing."

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "I'll think about this in the morning when I can't see it, maybe I'll get it then."

Ami giggled. "All right, g'nite."

The night was especially quiet, almost serene. Unfortunately Jack couldn't sleep at all, no matter how hard he tried. Not to mention he had a feeling someone- or something was watching them. The feeling wouldn't leave him at all, so with a heavy sigh he got to his feet. Ami was still and motionless, aside from the rhythmic breathing she kept a steady beat on. Jack stretched, his joints feeling like rubber. It was then that his eyes caught something in the dark. Something... almost camouflaged... it approached.

"A-Ami..." Jack stuttered out, shaking her with his foot. She grumbled awake shooting an annoyed look at him. "What...?"

Jack gulped. "Company."

A green creature walked on four stubby legs, just as tall as they were, padded in different shades of green. It's coal black eyes stared at them, blank of emotion. The thing's mouth hung open as well, giving it a peculiar look.

"Who are you?" Ami asked.

Jack hit her on the shoulder. "Ami! We don't even know if this thing is friendly! Let alone if it can talk!" She scowled. "I might as well try. We're in a different world, might as well make some friends." She took a few steps towards it and spoke again. "Can you help us? We're new here, and-" The creature started to make a sizzling noise, flashing a bright white, its body expanding so it became almost round. Something you wouldn't normally see in this world.

"GET DOWN!" Jack yelled, yanking Ami's arm and shoving her to the ground as a loud explosion echoed across the forest. He heard Ami scream, and felt a sharp pain himself. The dust settled, Jack and Ami both gazing bewildered at each other.

"I told you so." Jack panted.

"Let's get out of here," Ami squeaked, getting to her feet quickly. "I can't take this."

"Ami hold up! We can't split up!" Jack broke into a run to keep up with her, but he slowly started to slow down. "Wait!" he called desperately. His energy was fading fast, Jack's vision turning black. He crumpled to the ground in exhaustion, unable to continue any further. The last thing he saw was a faint light in the distance, and two figures running towards him.

"Jack? Jack!" Ami's voice grew faint. Jack couldn't respond, and finally fell unconscious.


	2. Alliances

Jack woke inside a well-lit, wooden house. The smell of food wafted through his nostrils, he recognized it immediately as... steak. He turned his head but was met with a slobbery tongue that felt like a wet mop on his face.

"Aaagh!" Jack sat up, wiping his face with his shirt and gazing at the creature before him. It was a silver wolf! The wolf cocked its head at him, as if to question the half-scared look on Jack's face. It sat happily wagging its tail from side to side.

"Rufus! Down boy, down." A boy in black spectacles called the wolf. Upon hearing its name, the wolf scrambled to the stranger. The boy smiled, petting the dog as it licked his palms. His eyes shimmered a cool brown, his tousled oak hair falling just above his eyes. The boy wore a pair of beige pants along with a blue-grey sweatshirt.

"He's harmless, really," he said, patting the dog on the head and standing to his full height. "I'm Michael."

"Jack," Jack blinked, still a little unsure of the situation. "By any chance have you seen a girl with red hair around here?"  
>Michael smiled. "She's in the kitchen raiding my food supply. You're lucky that you two stumbled across my house. I was able to patch you up, but you should rest for today."<p>

"Thanks." Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>A loud crash was heard through the wall, startling both Jack and Michael. Ami's voice rang loud and clear, as well as the cussing that came with it.<p>

"I wonder what that was." Michael didn't sound concerned in the slightest. He sauntered through the hallway on the other side of the room, into where Jack couldn't see him any longer. Jack could only hear muffled voices and splashing in the distance. Obviously he had to investigate. So he stood up, stumbled only once, and shuffled through a small, wooden hallway. It seemed that Michael's entire house was made of wood, that is, until Jack stepped into what he assumed was the kitchen. An ocean blue block coated the entirety of the room, gleaming in the light. Everything was blue! The table, the chair, even a little island that was placed near the fridge (which was, you guessed it, blue). It all would have been even more prettier if it wasn't flooding. Ami was caught in the bulk of it, holding a loaf of bread over her head and yelling loudly.

"I can't get the bread wet!" she repeated over and over.  
>Michael casually called out to her. "Don't worry, normal physics don't work here. You can drop the bread, just come over here so I can patch up the hole."<p>

The hole? Jack was exceptionally confused. It was as if he was watching this scene on a television, the way it was playing out. Ami absolutely refused to drop the bread - her reasons were unclear - no matter how many times Michael told her nothing would happen to the bread.

"Would you rather stay in there and drown?" Michael looked over his glasses at Ami. She gulped, and slowly stepped out of the water, the loaf of bread falling out of her hands. A look of shame had crossed her face, making Ami seem gloomier than a rain cloud. Pushing his glasses up, Michael took out one of the blue blocks from his pocket (or inventory, as Ami had called it) and patched up the wall where most of the water had been flowing. It stopped, and somehow the water evaporated into the air, leaving the smell of boiling water to linger inside.

"How did this happen?" Michael asked Ami coolly. She shrugged. "I finally made something I was slightly proud of, and then I think I accidentally hit something, and then this happened."

"Well, we are slightly underwater, so it's understandable." He observed his work, subtly nodding to himself. Then he turned to face Jack and Ami, who's clothes were miraculously dry. "I'm sure you two have realized where we are by now?"

"Not home." Jack stated.

"Clearly," He put the blue block back into his inventory. "You have no idea what this world is, do you?"

He waited only a moment before answering his own question. "Lady and gent, we've somehow landed ourselves inside of a video game. And not just any game, mind, but Minecraft. It's a fairly popular game among the internet and gaming universe alike, I'm a personal fan of it myself."

"When you say fan..." Ami raised an eyebrow.

Michael cleared his throat. "I have beaten the game several times, and know every little thing you can think of. That kind of fan."

"So you're that kind of person." Ami closed her eyes and nodded, a smirk spreading across her face. "I think you need to learn to have a little fun."

Michael and Jack looked at her with doubtful expressions, both of them thinking that her idea of fun could not mean anything helpful at this point.

"Why don't we build a column of lava right there?" She pointed to the center of the room. "It would make a great centerpiece!"

"That," Michael started. "Is the worst idea I have ever heard in my life. We're not doing that." He walked away, over to a chest that he started to dig through. Ami seemed shocked at the outright 'no' she had been given. "Come _on, _Michael!"

"I'm not stupid," he said. "Here." He passed a loaf of bread, milk, and a pork chop to Jack. Astonished by the food, Jack did what anyone would do. He ate it all as fast as humanly possible. Which proved to be fairly fast, as in a matter of minutes the food was gone. Michael nodded. "You must have been hungry. I have steak cooking for later too, if you'd like some."

Jack smiled. "Thanks, yeah. So, back to the entire 'we're in a video game' thing... what?" Michael chuckled. "I told you already, I'm an advanced player, everything in here is more or less the exact same to the game, I already have diamond armor for when we go out to mine. Relax, I'm sure we'll find out how we got here eventually. Besides, there isn't really anything else we can do besides..." he stopped himself, pursing his lips.

"Besides _what?_" Jack asked impatiently.

"Hm, that could be a little problematic. Perhaps to be freed of this world we would have to, say, beat the game. And in Minecraft, the boss is named the Ender Dragon. It's a bit sketchy, but we could go about slaying it, which could... oh but, hm..." Michael rubbed his chin with his arm, deep in thought. He was more talking to himself than anything, so Jack left him to it.

"What a weird bloke," Ami cocked her head. "He seems a little uptight."

"Are you just saying that because he won't let you build a giant lava lamp in here?"

Ami snorted with laughter, giggling maniacally.

"What did I say?!" Jack asked, bewildered.

"You... haha... _lava lamp._" she finished, and fell to her knees. Jack's eye twitched. That was it? She was laughing because of a joke that wasn't even that good. He felt like he was surrounded by aliens.

"But, I think for the time being we should stick together, you and me." Ami had suddenly gotten up, startling Jack.

"Wha- what?" Jack breathed in and out. "You mean an alliance?"

Ami gave him a look. "Duh. Just until we know he's okay. I mean, he seems okay." She watched as Michael paced around the room, muttering nonsense to himself. "But in case something happens, we're bros."

"You're a girl."

"Jack, just go with it. You're being a buzz-kill. Stop that."

And just like that, Jack had somehow survived through more than a day with the odd duo he had met. His eyes trailed to Ami, her red hair braided down her back, observing Michael as he paced around. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

><p><strong>I like where this story is going. I really do. At least, it's going somewhere in my head. Yep. Stay tuned for whatever in the next chapter. Author, out!<strong>


	3. Trials and Tribulations

"So let me get this straight," Jack ruffled his hair in confusion. "You want us to go back out there." He pointed to the looming night.

"Yep." Michael nodded.

"Where we almost died."

"Seems like it."

"And intentionally look for those monsters."

"Pretty much."

"Have you lost your mind?!" Jack spluttered out.

Michael sighed. "Look, Jack. I know you don't know crap about this world, but we have to gather some materials. Besides, I can give you both some armour and weapons. I'm not daft."

"But that thing that exploded-"

"A creeper," Michael walked across the wooden floor to a chest that rested beside the beds. "They're quite bothersome. But they drop gunpowder, so be on the look for that, we can use anything we get."

"B-but-" Jack stuttered. Michael slammed the chest with an audible force. "This conversation is over, we're going out in a few minutes. I'm going to get Ami, meet us at the front door to get your gear. You won't survive in this world for long if you continue to act like that." And then he left.

"Dang it!" Jack slammed his fist on the bed, accidentally breaking it. He swore, placing the bed back down again. The last thing that he wanted was to go back out there again and come that close to death. Did he have a choice? Jack had to admit that Michael had a point. He took a last glance at the bedroom, wooden blocks and all. With a gulp that swallowed down his nerves, Jack went down the little hallway to the front entrance.

* * *

><p>There was Ami, hung on every word Michael was saying. He handed her a sword, some food, and a pickax. She was already dressed in what appeared to be silver armor from head to toe. A look of excitement mixed with nervousness was spread on her face, and she lightened up even more when she noticed Jack.<p>

"You're coming with us?! Cool! Look, I have a sword!" She waved it around happily, narrowly missing Michael's throat.

"I get the _point_," Jack smirked. "But I'd rather none of us died today." His eyes panned over to Michael, who gave him a curt nod, and pulled something out from a nearby chest (He sure had a lot of those...).

"You'll need these," he said. "That is, if you want to live." Jack had just obtained a full set of the silvery armor that Ami had. Everything was labeled as 'Iron', and he put on all of it. It was surprisingly light, and he could move just as freely as if he wasn't wearing any armor at all! Michael also handed him a sword (Also labelled 'Iron' in his inventory), some food, and an Iron pickax just like Ami's. Jack held the sword out in front of him, gazing at its every detail. How it gleamed in the light, the razor shape edge putting him... on edge.

"Okay, so we should be fine with what we have. Oh, and before I forget..." He pulled out an odd looking piece of technology. "Put this in your ear, it'll allow us to speak to each other even if we're on opposite ends of the world." Jack and Ami each took one and fit it inside their ear. It slid in naturally, Jack could hardly notice it was there even when he did think about it. "Where did you get these?" Ami inquired, squishing her earpiece in. Michael's brow furrowed. "I don't know," He shook his head. "When I woke up here I had them. Useful, though."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Useful." He felt a little more skeptical about Michael than he had a few minutes ago.

"But anyhow, we should go. Night is falling." Michael grinned, leading them out of the house.

* * *

><p>It was the first time Jack had been outside since his run-in with the creeper. The world didn't seem as creepy in the daytime, though the sun was setting. But what glorious shades it reflected! Every variety of orange, red, and yellow blended into a lovely harmony that rooted Jack to the spot for a brief second, until Michael called him over telling him to keep up.<p>

"So how do we know where we're going? And how will we get back?" Jack asked once he had caught up.

"I have a map, and I've pinpointed exactly where our house is. No need to worry." Michael reassured him.

"Who needs a map?" Ami stretched her arms behind her neck. "Let's go on an adventure! What about that mountain over the-"

"Filled to the brim with spiders. I'd rather wait until we're more equipped to go in there." Michael interrupted, and shuddered. Ami pouted. "How about the desert?"

"That's where we're going, actually." he smiled. "Be sure to leave a torch every so often, too."

"So you're saying that the map could be useless!" Ami put her hands on her hips.

"No. It's just another way of retracing our steps. Get it together. We're here, anyway." Michael shook his head, and pointed his sword to the sandy plains ahead. All was quiet, not a creature nor a sound to disturb the peace. At least, until a sound rudely interrupted said peace.

"What was that?" Ami tensed up instantly, raising her sword inches away from her nose.

"Spider!" Michael's face brightened up. "Find it and kill it, we need to split up. If any of you get string, let me know. We'll be in touch, don't worry." He tapped his ear.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked uncertainly.

"Yes! Just go, and if anything goes bad just yell for help, we'll be there in a heartbeat." Michael ran down in a different direction, he sprinted so fast it was only a matter of seconds until he was out of sight.

"Jack?" Ami edged closer to him, still stiffly holding her sword in place.

"Let's stick together." he stated. Ami breathed a sigh of relief, and eased up slightly. "Agreed."

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of walking, the sound of anything had disappeared into silence, and Jack felt a bit more comfortable. He made sure to keep his eyes, ears, and everything else peeled for anything out of the ordinary, but was fairly relaxed. Ami, on the other hand, only got more worried by the minute.<p>

"What was that?!" she would say at anything that she heard, real or not.

"Nothing, nothing. Just keep moving." Jack would always reply back, grabbing her arm and giving her a little tug. She would continue on with him, side by side, until something else caught her attention. Jack looked around for something that could distract her from everything, but found pretty much nothing. It was when something caught his eye that he mentioned it to her, in the hopes that it may return her sense of fun.

"Hey! It's that little mountain we passed by earlier! See that, Ami? We could go adventure in there and kill all those spiders for Michael! He wouldn't think we're unequipped or weak or... Anything! ...Ami?" Jack looked back at her. She was still tense.

"Do you think we can make it?" Ami asked nervously.

"Of course," Jack felt the lie sink its venomous fangs into him, the poison filling his veins. "We'll be fine." Would they be fine? Even Michael was concerned... And he was the more skilled fighter out of both Ami and himself. No, this was no time to belittle himself. Michael would soon see that Jack was not a weakling. He could do this.

"Let's go." he said firmer than he meant to.

Upon approaching closer to the mountain, a small cave was visible- if only by the fact it was darker than the night.

Jack gulped. "Do you have torches?"

"Right here," Ami placed one on a stone outside the black hole. It illuminated a portion of the cave, but certainly not as much as Jack would have liked. "We can light up this entire place, see?" she smiled a shaky smile. Jack wondered if she was still frightened.

"Keep your guard up," Jack pulled out his own sword and scanned the semi-darkness. Ami laid a torch every few steps to add the faintest bit of light. For a while, they encountered nothing, and their hopes began to drain along with any lingering fear.

"Do you think we should turn back? I'm almost out of torches." Ami counted the remaining sticks in her inventory. "7 in totes."

Jack sighed. "I suppose so. But hey, at least we got to adventure." He smirked. "What does totes mean anyway?"

Ami rolled her eyes. "Honestly Jack, I thought you were more civilized than that."

"That's not a good explanation." He climbed over a boulder, offering a hand to Ami who followed suit.

"Well get used to i-" She cut herself off, stopping in her tracks. "I just heard something."

"Probably nothing. We've already been here, right? If something was here we would've found it already."

"Not exactly." Jack saw the beads of sweat that ran down Ami's forehead. She wasn't kidding around. A sound met Jack's ears. A scuttling sound, perhaps belonging to a creature with any legs. He shuddered.

"Ami, let's get out of here." he hissed. She nodded, slowly moving onwards. Treading carefully, neither Jack or Ami heard the sound again, at least, until it jumped right in front of them. A black figure had leaped before them, blocking the exit. Jack blinked at the light that was so close. Ami had screamed and jumped back several feet. Jack felt a new sweat running down his body, and boldly raised his sword. The dark figure started to do something nobody expected- it straightened up. Standing on two legs, even. Jack braced himself, about to charge in blindly.

"Could you put that thing down?" The figure asked. He almost dropped it.

"W-what?!"

"I said," a southern accent drawled as the figure stepped closer. "Put the darned thing down."

* * *

><p>"So who are you again?" Ami managed to say through a bowl of soup.<p>

"Names Charlotte. Don't forget it." The once ebony figure had revealed itself to be none other than a girl. Dark skinned, with chocolate brown eyes and a shockingly big puff of hair, she struck a bit of intimidation to all those around her. Well, except for Ami. She hadn't seemed to notice at all. But here they sat, just outside the cave, slurping down mushroom soup speedily. Jack had offered Charlotte a bowl, but she strongly declined, saying "I don't need no commoners food! I've been surviving on the flesh of monsters for days!" This certainly wasn't what Jack had expected to happen.

"Well, should we get back?" Ami yawned, staring at Jack for an answer.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Are you coming with us, Charlotte?"

"And how do I know y'all won't poke me with them swords as I sleep?!" she bellowed. After a long pause, and no answer to her loud remark, she scratched the poofy, black hair on her head. "I suppose I'll check your place out for now. I ain't saying I'll say for good. Got that?!"

"Loud and clear." Jack mumbled. This Charlotte was a bit too much for him. Ami got to her feet and stretched. Dawn was just starting to become visible on the horizon, and with it a wave of relief was brought over the group.

"Let's take you home then." Ami grinned. Charlotte fired up at once, going on and on about how this was only a visit, but Jack had a feeling she would stick around for longer than the average stay. As their home came into view, so did Michael along with the stunned look on his face. Jack felt the corners of his mouth tug into a light smirk. Maybe Charlotte would put him in his place. He stuffed a giggle down his throat, not daring to make a sound. The show was only just beginning.


	4. Conflict

"Who's this?" Michael jabbed a thumb towards Charlotte.

"She's-" Jack started.

"Names Charlotte. Don't forget it!" she interrupted. Jack shrugged. "Uh...yeah."

"...Will she be staying with us?" Michael sneered.

"Not fer long if ya talk to me like that! Only the night, I'd say." she narrowed her eyes at him. Jack stepped back a foot, not sure what was going to happen next.

"Only the night. We have enough people as it is," he glanced at Jack. "Hope you made the right choice." Then Michael disappeared into the vast house. Charlotte shot him a look as well, and silently went inside.

"This can't be good." Ami knitted her eyebrows together.

"For once, I think you're right."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>Things only got more tense between the crew, Charlotte and Michael looking like they would rip each other's head off.<p>

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, honey, I'm leavin'!" Charlotte stomped around the house, filtering through chests, Michael hot at her heels.

"That doesn't mean you can just raid my supplies!" he thundered.

"You think I have anything waiting for me out there?! I ain't got nothin in those plains! It's only fair if I get a bit to start me off!"

"That's no reason to just take all this without asking!" Michael's face had gone a ripe tomato red, his anger definitely apparent.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Can I have this? Thanks! Now goodbye, gent." Charlotte mock bowed and stormed out the door. Ami followed after her, simply stating "I'll go get her..." leaving Jack and Michael alone.

"Ugh! Can you believe her? She's rude, invasive, and I can't stand her!" Michael paced around the room.

"You haven't even given her a chance."

"I've given her enough chances. There's no way that I'd let someone like her ever stay here again!"

"Why?!" Jack stood up, the blood pumping through his veins. "This is no different than when Ami and I came here!"

"No different?! You were unconscious, Ami was freaking out, what else could I do?! But she just struts here like she owns the place and takes me for granted! If I weren't here all of you would be dead!"

Jack glared at him, trying to think of something he could fire back with.

"Look, I'm going to go find Ami and Charlotte. We'll come back, and if you haven't gotten over your stupid grudge against her then we're all leaving. Get over it, Michael." Jack turned on his heel, squished on his helmet, drew his sword, and marched off in search of his companions, leaving Michael alone.

* * *

><p>It didn't prove to be overly difficult to find the two girls. Charlotte's voice was louder than the average person, and Jack still had the earpiece connection with Ami. As he approached, Jack almost didn't believe the scene before him. Charlotte was sitting on a rock, talking with Ami, but holding a rabbit in her lap. A few other rabbits hopped around them, and even a wolf was curled up beside her.<p>

"Woah," was all he said, enough to attract attention.

"Woah what? You aren't that surprised, are you? I like animals." Charlotte buried her face into the fur of the rabbit, which seemed to be very soft.

"I came to get you two. We're going to go back to Michael, and if he's still being a jerk, we'll set off on our own."  
>Charlotte frowned. "I'm not sure I want to go back in the first place."<p>

"We need supplies."

"Good point." she sighed. "Five more minutes. My animal therapy is almost over." She whistled, and the rest of the rabbits and the wolf came close to her, enveloping her like a furry blanket. Jack raised his eyebrows, but was ushered away by Ami, who gave the weirdest explanation.

"It's a girl thing," she said. "You wouldn't get it."

* * *

><p>As the trio headed back towards the house, Jack felt the constant nagging in his ear was going to drive him mad.<p>

"I don't see why we have to come back first." Charlotte complained, a rabbit from before still following her.

"It'll be brief, okay?" Jack rubbed his temples. This girl really was a handful. Surprisingly, Ami hadn't said much on the way back. Jack was almost sure she would be full of conversation as always. He shook the thought away as they approached the large, wooden door. They piled in, Charlotte still agitated. Michael stood in a nearby corner, leaning against the wall. He tapped his finger against his arm, nibbling on his lip.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry about earlier. It, uh, was rude of me."

Charlotte looked at him with a skeptical eye. "It was," she paused, thinking to herself, and answered with a sigh. "Apology accepted, I suppose. That don't mean I'm stayin' though."

"What?!" Michael's whole body moved in shock. "But it's a minefield out there! You'll die!" Charlotte laughed heartily. "Me? Die? That's just ridiculous. I survived our there before, I can do it again."

"Relax," Ami chided. "We'll probably see her again anyway."

"'Course you will. Who knows, maybe I'll make friends with a pig and a cow while I'm out. Hah!" she guffawed, mostly to herself. 'Well, I should best be off anyhow." Charlotte put one of her hands on her hip and started towards the exit.

"Wait," Michael stopped her. "Take this before you go. It, uh, might come in handy." He handed her a few torches, some mushroom soup, and a book.

"What's the darn book for?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"Read it when you have time. It's a good story." Michael half smiled. "It would be a bludgeon to my reputation if I didn't let you go with at least a couple things to help along the way. So don't get yourself killed."

"I've heard paper cuts can hurt. Paper is _tear_able anyway." she smirked. "Catch you later."

"Bye." Everyone's voices rang at different times.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe she just left like that." Jack scratched his head, later in a room dedicated to chests. Ami handed him a wooden pickax with a small smile. "What's this for?" Jack gave her a confused expression.<p>

"Well, it's the item you _wood pick_." she snickered. "Besides, it was her choice anyway. I think she'll be fine."

"Stop. I suppose you're right." Jack sighed.

"We need to get going, anyway. Everyone got your-" he looked at the pickax in Jack's hand, shook his head, and swapped it with a stone pickax. "As I was saying, everyone should be geared up by now, right?" Ami and Jack nodded in unison. "Good. All right, our goal for today is to just collect some material, right? Right. Anything will be accepted. Coal, Iron, even Cobblestone. But not too much. The chest is almost full as it is..."

"Don't you have a million more chests?" Ami asked.

"It's not the same," Michael objected. "All of the Cobblestone is in that specific chest- if I make another one my entire system will be sent flying into oblivion!" He pushed his glasses onto his face, as he had knocked them askew. "That still doesn't make any sense." Ami whispered loud enough for both Michael and Jack to hear.

Before Michael could make a remark Jack interjected, leaving Michael's mouth to gape.

"Let's just go, okay?" he said.

"Fine by me." Ami smiled, then stuck her tongue out at Michael. He twitched.

* * *

><p>After heading down some steps, and navigating a maze that Michael easily guided them through, Ami, Michael, and Jack found themselves in a wide, open area in which they could gaze up and see the light of day. The mines awaited them, gleaming with treasures that were hidden just beneath the surface. Jack admitted that he was a little excited about his first time mining.<p>

"So, I think you'll figure out mining easily enough." Michael was running through a brief explanation of what to do. "Hit the stone with your pickax. Simple. If you see anything that isn't Coal, Stone, or Iron use the Iron Pickax that you have, otherwise you won't get it. The material will break and be useless. Got it?" he scanned the two novices. "Ami you have that section over there, Jack you're right beside her, and I'll be in the mine next to Jack's. Don't dig down if you can help it. We don't want any accidents. Okay, okay... Let's go." Michael nodded confidently. Ami sprang up from her stony seat, almost dropping her pickax as she did so.

* * *

><p>Jack wandered through his section of the mine. It was a little cramped, but that only made him slightly uncomfortable. He twirled the pickax in his hands momentarily, then lifted it and swung down on the stone in front of him. The block instantly broke into pieces, and Cobblestone was instantly sent to his inventory. His breathing already starting to get heavy, Jack wiped his dry forehead and prepared to swing again.<p>

The minutes passed into hours, the amount of stone that had been destroyed had been determined as countless. Jack was now sweaty, tired, and eating a baked potato. He didn't know how long it had been since they had all started this, but to Jack it felt like an eternity. Stone after stone had passed by him, and the only thing he had found that would be slightly useful was a small amount of Coal.

He felt defeated by the mine, but swore to himself he wouldn't stop until he found at least a speck of Iron. Shoving the final remains of his potato in his mouth, Jack used his pickax to push himself to his feet, and stared cold heartily at the looming pile of stone in front of him. He brought his pickax down hard, and a pit of darkness rested below him. Jack gasped, pulling out a torch as quickly as he could. Aiming carefully, he placed it directly below him, illuminating a...railroad track?


	5. Discovery

Jack stared at the murky abyss below him. His heart pounded in his chest, about to burst. He swung his head back down the tunnel, thinking if he should get the others. Jack had no idea what was down there, there could be ten more of those creepers! But something stopped him from pressing his earpiece. Something told him ADVENTURE!

So Jack tiptoed near the edge of the stone. Looking down, the ground wasn't very far. He could easily fall down and remain unscathed. Bracing himself for the impact and an earful from Michael, Jack fell beside the tracks, right next to his torch. Filtering through his inventory, Jack made sure he had all of his other torches at hand. He laid one a few feet ahead, illuminating the once dark passageway and revealing a labyrinth of tracks. He could only think that this used to be a mineshaft when it was working. Or, it still could be. A shiver ran up Jack's spine.

"Ami? Michael?" Jack pressed his earpiece and spoke through the receiver.

"What's up?" Ami sounded exhausted, her breaths heavy and short. "Find anything interesting?"

"You could say that," Jack chuckled nervously. "I think I ended up in some sort of abandoned mineshaft. Er-that is if it's still in use. Then it's not abandoned."

A loud thump came from Ami's end. "What?! That's so not fair! All I've found is coal and sweat! I'm coming over there, now." she went quiet for about a minute, until Jack heard pounding footsteps coming closer, and fast. Ami's figure came into view in no time, almost skidding when she turned into Jack's mine. She flew into the corridor, until she came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the stone, gazing down at Jack.

"Woah-" she managed to get out, before losing her balance and stumbling onto the stone in front of Jack.

"That looks like it hurt." Jack stated obviously.

"That was _stone_ cold, Jack." Ami rolled onto her back, her face a bit gritty from the fall. Smiling, Jack offered a hand to help her up. Ami sighed, but accepted it and grunted as she got to her feet.

"What's going on over there?" Michael's voice rang through the earpiece, stern.

"Jack found a mine shaft, you should come with us and explore!" Ami grinned.

"I know what he found, I'm not deaf. I was busy fighting off some monsters - they're dead - so stay right there, I'll come shortly." The earpiece clicked, and he was gone. It took a bit longer for Michael to arrive than Ami, if not for the fact he leisurely walked the entire way. Ami had started pacing in a circle around Jack as she grew more impatient by the second.

"Ugh," she made a face. "He takes too long."

Jack shook his head. "It's been a minute. Not even."

"UUUUUUUUGH." Ami let her head hit a wall of stone and started to roll around.

Thankfully, Michael dropped in beside them smoothly shortly after.

"Finally..." Ami whispered mostly to herself. Michael shot her a look and turned to Jack.

"Sorry for the wait. Let's go, I think I know where we can get some valuables."

"But this is new-" Jack protested.

"Shush. We wouldn't want you to get lead for brains, now, would we?"

"That made no sense..." Jack muttered, shaking his head. Michael grumbled something inaudible and took the lead.

* * *

><p>"Have we looked over there yet? You haven't even told us what we're looking for in the first place." Ami echoed across the dusky cave, a few steps ahead of them.<p>

"Slow down before you get yourself killed! And no, we haven't looked there. Besides, what we want to find is a chest...there's a small chance it could contain diamonds." Michael scanned each corridor they came up to with sharp eyes, keeping an eye out for anything. "See anything, Jack?" he asked, not even taking a glance at him.

"Not yet." Jack replied, following just behind Michael.

"Well, I'm going over there, because that looks like a good time." Ami shrugged, strutting down the path to her left. Michael groaned, unwilling to catch up with her.

He didn't have to wait long, though.

"So remember when you said we needed to preferably find a chest, like, five seconds ago? It's not a fun time down there anymore." she backed up into view, seeming a little pale. Ami pointed down the corridor, and as the boys approached it, Jack felt a bit queasy. More than a dozen red eyes stared back at the trio, submerged in darkness. Jack tried to count them all, but they moved around too much to place a number. Just barely visible was a silver lock - attached to a chest.

"Uh," Jack gulped. "Don't tell me those are what I think they are."

"'Fraid so." Michael sighed, pulling out his sword. "There's too many...maybe a spawner..." he muttered to himself. Jack pulled out his own sword. "Better think fast, it looks like we don't have long to wait." The black creatures emerged from the darkness, their bright eyes gleaming. Walking on eight legs, at least ten times the size of what Jack had seen, a horde of spiders skittered closer.

"Michael," Jack warned. "Should we retreat?" He saw Michael's eyes moving rapidly from behind his glasses.

"Get back." Michael finally said, backing away from the creatures. The spiders were faster now, some lunging ahead of others.

"Let's go!" Ami cried, sprinting back down the way they came. Jack and Michael only hesitated a second before following her, the sound of many legs close behind them.

_Skreee! _

Jack heard Michael yell in pain after what Jack could only assume was a spider's cry. He looked back, to see a spider fall back and burst into dust. Michael limped towards him, still keeping pace.

"Go!" he urged.

"I can't leave you!" Jack rushed back, fending off a couple spiders until Michael was slightly ahead. Michael fell to the ground in a coughing fit. Jack could almost swear he saw a bit of blood trailing from Michael's mouth. He looked back a second too long, however, because before he knew it he was pinned to the ground and very large pincers were reaching for his face.

Jack pushed back on the spider, struggling against its binding hold. He saw a green ooze trickle from within the spiders jaw and shut his mouth tightly, no matter how much he wanted to vomit at that second. Jack started to lose strength, the pincers close to the bridge of his nose, Michael on the ground still coughing blood...and fear. Jack sat in the face of fear, scared of what would become of him. He was certain the he would make a horrible sushi, providing that spiders ate human sushi in the first place.

_Ftwang._

_Skreee!_

The pressure on Jack's chest lifted as the spider exploded into dust and string. Jack inhaled deeply, scrambling to his feet quickly and taking a quick glance behind him where Ami stood, holding a drawn bow and arrow. Relief washed through him as he dashed to Michael.

"Can you walk?" Jack grasped his shoulder firmly. Michael pushed his hand away. "I'm fine." He stood, a little wobbly, but lightly jogged to where Ami was poised, her bow still drawn. She let Jack and Michael past her before following them herself, still ready to fire an arrow at a moments notice. Jack pulled out some of the many cobblestone he had in his inventory and set them down like a stairway. He let Michael go up first, then Ami, and lastly himself. He watched as the mound of spiders rushed towards them, still hot in pursuit. Jack quickly threw as much stone towards the entrance as he could, barricading the path. Several _'Skreee's'_ were heard, and quite a few thumps. Breathing again, Jack followed his friends down the mine shaft, and into the clearing where they started.

* * *

><p>"Can we stop for a sec?" Michael seemed as though he could turn to ash in mere seconds, his face hollow and white. Jack nodded, Ami had already sat down, pouring water on herself. Michael collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily.<p>

"What happened?" Jack scooted beside Michael. "Do you need help or..."

"It'll pass." he managed. "Spider poison...bit me on the leg...fine in a minute..."

Jack hugged his knees, sighing. There wasn't much else to do than wait. He looked to Ami, soaked from the water but drying out quickly.

"Thanks for back there," Jack said. "I would've died if you didn't-"

"I know." she gazed at him through sad eyes. "Lucky a Skeleton dropped the bow and arrows. Lucky..."

Jack felt shivers run up his spine. "A Skeleton...?"

"Thought you'd be used to it by now, considering." Ami shrugged. "I just rolled with it and struck that sucker down. Guess it doesn't have a _bone_ to pick with me anymore." Jack chuckled, a picture of Ami charging at full speed while flailing a sword dancing in his mind.

"Somehow nothing fails to surprise me." Jack realized then, that he was starving. To death, even. His mouth watered at the thought of food, so he searched his inventory for any spare potatoes he might have. Scowling, his stomach growled when nothing turned up.

"Do you have any food left?" Jack asked Ami. She screwed up her face as if in a deep thought, scanned through her own inventory and sighed unhappily. "Nada." Jack turned to Michael, who was savouring a warm loaf of bread.

"What?" he spoke with a mouthful of pastry.

"Do you have any-"

"No. We need to get out of here, anyway. I'm good to move." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and stretched briefly. Michael's eyes flicked from Jack's to Ami's. He have a swift nod and started down the path to the entrance. Jack and Ami swapped expressions, slowly keeping behind him.

* * *

><p>A breath of crisp, fresh air dove its way into Jack's lungs. He took gulps of air, thankful to be breathing it at all. Ami had sprawled herself on the ground, rolling in the dirt like a cartoon character. Michael, on the other hand, stayed as stiff and wary as ever.<p>

"Lighten up," Ami told him. "_Relish_ in the breeze, or something."

"I'll _ketchup_ with that later." he walked towards the house, seeming more keen to get inside than anything. Michael almost slammed the door behind him, leaving Ami and Jack to sit there in speculation. Ami shot a worried look to Jack. "I think he's a bit down."

"He shouldn't be, we barely made it out of there alive." Jack furrowed his brow.

"Well, when you look at what we came back with, he might see it as a failure."

"We can go back," Jack pointed out. "And be more prepared than this time. That chest could have something valuable in it-maybe even diamonds. That's what we're looking for, right?"

Ami nodded. "Sure we could, but Michael probably doesn't see it that way. What a party pooper."

She lifted herself from the grassy ground, now coated in a thin blanket of dirt, and headed towards the house.

"We'd better get back anyway. I don't know about you, but I got a case of the growlies, and it gonna take more than the average potato to cure it."  
>Jack couldn't help but mentally agree with her. He cracked his back and stumbled after her into the house. Michael was already filtering through chests as he normally did, putting some of his findings in their special place.<p>

"What did you guys get?" he mumbled gloomily. "I got nothing but coal, iron, and a small amount of gold."

"More than we got," Jack shrugged. "Ami managed with some coal and I got the grand prize of blood, sweat and tears."

"Lovely." he replied. "We'll have to go back soon then, that chest is just beckoning me over. Day after tomorrow."  
>Jack gulped, a flash of the spiders pincers blinding him for a split second. But there was something else he pondered about.<p>

"Then what are we doing tomorrow?"

"One of my favourite things," he grinned. "Hunting."


End file.
